Wiggins talks up World Championships chances

Sir Bradley Wiggins is taking the confidence gained from his win in the Tour of Britain time trial into his battle with German rival Tony Martin at the World Championships this week.

Wiggins got the better of Martin in the race against the clock at the London 2012 Olympics but the German retained his World Championship title in Tuscany last year ahead of the Brit.

Without a Grand Tour under his belt in 2014, Wiggins has not had many chances for time trial success but a win at the British National Championships in Abergavenny reaffirmed his credentials.

Wiggins is joined in the Ponferrada time trial by fellow Tour of Britain stage winner Alex Dowsett, who added Glasgow Commonwealth Games gold to his three National Championship titles earlier this summer.

But it is four-time Olympic gold medallist Wiggins, confirmed as part of the Team Sky line up for Sunday’s team time trial at the worlds, who feels he has the beating of Martin around the Spanish streets.

“Tony’s been so dominant all year and this race will be about whether he’s sustained that form,” Wiggins said. “He won the time trial at the Vuelta a España but he didn’t look as convincing there as he did at the Tour [de France].

“It’s one of those things though, it’s so unknown. I thought I’d be closer to him last year but he put 42 seconds into me, so you can’t predict what other riders are going to do.

“I feel with the form I’m in though, I should be in the ball park, and we’ll see where we are on the day. In the back of your mind you build yourself up mentally and I’m telling myself there is a chance I could win it.”